Navy men's lacrosse 2014 schedule by the numbers

Navy has released its men's lacrosse schedule for the 2014 season. Here is a breakdown of the slate that awaits the Midshipmen, who went 3-10 last year and failed to qualify for the Patriot League tournament for the third consecutive season.

10: After winning at least 10 games each spring between 2004 and 2009, Navy has won just 17 combined in the past four years. Over that same span, the program has suffered 33 losses.

9: With Loyola and Boston University joining the Patriot League, the conference will balloon to nine members. That means that six teams will qualify for the league tournament. The first- and second-place teams will earn byes, while the remaining four teams will play April 22. The semifinals will take place April 25, and the title game is scheduled for April 27.

8: Navy, which finished last season with a seven-game losing streak, has never dropped eight in a row in the history of the program.

7: The Midshipmen will open the season against VMI for the seventh straight year, playing host to the Keydets on Feb. 8 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. VMI has never won a game in six previous meetings.

6: Navy returns six starters from last year’s squad, including its entire starting attack of seniors Sam Jones and Tucker Hull and sophomore T.J. Hanzsche.

5: The Midshipmen have a five-game losing skid to archrival Army, which will play host to Navy on April 12. It is the longest streak the Black Knights have enjoyed in the series.

4: Navy will clash with four opponents that played in last year’s NCAA tournament, and three of those games will take place on the road. The team has away games against reigning Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion Towson on March 11, defending Patriot League tournament champ Lehigh on March 15, and Maryland on May 3. Loyola will visit Annapolis on April 5.

3: The Midshipmen’s clash with Maryland on May 3 is the latest the two programs will have met in the regular season since May 25, 1971. It is also the first time since 2003 that Navy will not face Johns Hopkins in the regular-season finale.

2: Navy trails Johns Hopkins 26-60-1 in their intrastate rivalry, but the Midshipmen have won the last two meetings at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy snapped a 36-game losing skid with a 9-8 victory on April 24, 2010 and then earned an 8-2 rout on April 21, 2012.

1: The Midshipmen renew rivalries with a pair of programs in which five of the past six meetings have been decided by just one goal. Georgetown visits Annapolis on Feb. 15, and Colgate comes to town on March 22.